I’d rather face wrath of 60,000 fans than see ground empty
Shaun Want admits he’d rather face the cauldron of noise created by 60,000 Celtic fans than play in an empty stadium.
The Hamilton defender can’t wait for the daunting opening day trip to face the nine-in-a-row champs.
His only regret is the ground will be silent as a result of rules relating to the coronavirus pandemic.
The 23-year- old said: “Every player wants the fans to be there.
“It’s their flag day so Parkhead would have been sold out. We will just need to adapt to it until the fans are allowed back.
“I’d prefer to play in a full stadium. Most players would. It’s your dream to play in front of 50,000- 60,000 crowds every week – it gives you more adrenaline.
“Yes, it will be a tough challenge but as a player those are the type of games you relish.
“Every player is looking forward to it. You are going to play them at some stage so it might as well be the first game. Why not?”
Brian Rice’s battlers almost earned a shock point at Celtic Park in December before conceding a last-gasp Scott Brown goal.
Hamilton also silenced a packed Ibrox with a 1- 0 win against Rangers in the penultimate Scottish Premiership fixture before the season was halted.
Want said: “We feel we showed we can compete with the big teams. We had a good result at Ibrox and played well at Celtic Park too.
“We know we are capable of going there and taking something.”
Want admitted he faces a big season four years after making his top-team breakthrough. He said: “I have been at Accies since I was 10 and have always been seen as a young kid coming through. “But if you look at the squad now I am probably one of the older and more experienced boys so I have got a responsibility.
“At the end of last season I was playing well so hopefully I can kick on from there.
“Every season is as big as the last one and hopefully I play as much as I can this season and try to do as well as I possibly can, kick on every single game.
“Every time you step on that pitch you have something to prove to yourself and to the manager who gave you a chance. “My targets are to get a full season under me, hopefully injury free, and cement my place by impressing the gaffer that I should play every week.”